Anger as Christmas lights stolen from Mid Norfolk home

A dad is angry and upset after his multicoloured Christmas lights were stolen from a tree in his garden.

Ryan Woods, 25, from Greenwood Drive, Scarning, near Dereham, said the lights were put up on a tree by the side of his semi-detached home on December 1 and were taken between 1pm and 7pm on Boxing Day.

The theft happened while he visited his parents and other relatives in Bradenham on Boxing Day with his wife Frankie, 26, and four-year-old daughter Megan.

Mr Woods, who works at Morrisons in Dereham, said: “Megan was gutted. When we came around the corner the lights were not on. It took her ages to get to sleep because she thought somebody was going to come in a steal her toys.”

His home is the last in a row of houses and the lights were switched on between 3.15pm and 9pm each day so everyone who walked to and from Dereham could see them.

Mr Woods added: “All Megan’s friends used to walk past and say, ‘We love the lights.’ Somebody obviously didn’t like them though. It made me feel like I wanted to cry when I saw the disappointment on Megan’s face. It made me feel angry then sad because she was so sad.”

The lights were put up last year.

He said: “My wife and I finished a hard week at Morrisons in the run up to Christmas and someone ruined it.”

He has reported the incident to the police.

It was one of a number of thefts and acts of criminal damage around Dereham over Chiristmas,

They included the attempted theft of Christmas lights in Shipdham Road, Toftwood, a door kicked in on a shed at allotments in Toftwood, planters strewn across the road in Middlemarch Road and newly planted trees kicked down in St George’s Drive.